NYC Wrangler owners check in

[markdaniel213]

Originally Posted by Loamy

I'm about 6'11" in clearance. I'm at 6" of lift on 35s. I have to keep the CB antenna in the back for most places although my garage is actually tall enough for it. In Manhattan, I can't get in about 75% of the decks, but it's usually not too bad (although I did gouge my hardtop in December). It all depends on the boro. Usually outside of Manhattan you can get indoor parking for around 150-200 if you look hard enough.

I prefer a lot with my own space so I don't have to call ahead etc. I've done that before and they aren't too thrilled trying to move that thing around with a locked rear diff. That kind of lot is a huge hassle... even when you call ahead you still have to wait 15 minutes for them to pull the car out.

My friend rents a garage attached to an old brownstone for 200 as well. You can find a lot of those on Craigslist. That might not be a bad way to go because it seems like a lot of those garages have decent clearance. And if you need to work on something you can usually get away with it as long as you're not making too much noise and getting yourself kicked out.

I don't really have any recent trail pictures (broke too many things in the past year) but I have a couple pictures from a shop up in Portchester:

awesome feedback! thanks much for that. i hadn't ever heard of being able to possibly rent a garage attached to a brownstone. i'll definitely check that out. the idea of actually having a space to work on it is quite attractive (keeping the noise down, of course

and thanks for posting the photos. she's quite a beaut indeed! curious though, what is that bit sticking up above the hood right in front of the windshield (in front of the passenger-side windshield wiper)? some sort of air intake? or...something else? what might it be (and what make & model)?

thanks again!

[Loamy]

Originally Posted by markdaniel213

awesome feedback! thanks much for that. i hadn't ever heard of being able to possibly rent a garage attached to a brownstone. i'll definitely check that out. the idea of actually having a space to work on it is quite attractive (keeping the noise down, of course

and thanks for posting the photos. she's quite a beaut indeed! curious though, what is that bit sticking up above the hood right in front of the windshield (in front of the passenger-side windshield wiper)? some sort of air intake? or...something else? what might it be (and what make & model)?

thanks again!

Haha... thanks. That's a safari pre-cleaner sitting up there. It pulls most of the dust / water out before anything reaches the filter (which is actually a conical filter that is recessed within that intake tube). I don't like how all the snorkels are routed on the side of the car where you can rip it off if you get caught up on something so it's routed through the cowl. If you're outside of the car you can actually hear it pull in air. The Jeep is an '02 TJ with a different drive train... 5.7 L Hemi with a NV4500 and 4.3 Atlas II.

[markdaniel213]

Originally Posted by Loamy

Haha... thanks. That's a safari pre-cleaner sitting up there. It pulls most of the dust / water out before anything reaches the filter (which is actually a conical filter that is recessed within that intake tube). I don't like how all the snorkels are routed on the side of the car where you can rip it off if you get caught up on something so it's routed through the cowl. If you're outside of the car you can actually hear it pull in air. The Jeep is an '02 TJ with a different drive train... 5.7 L Hemi with a NV4500 and 4.3 Atlas II.

wait...this Jeep of yours...the one in the photos above...the one with this safari pre-cleaner...this Jeep has a Hemi...V-8?? :O and WHERE are the photos of this massive engine??

i've oft thought about replacing the 4.0 straight-6 in my Jeep when (and if ) it ever dies (i swear that engine was built to run eternally!)

but yes - i (and i'm sure "we") would love to see some photos of your V-8 conversion in your Wrangler, if ya don't mind sharing

[Loamy]

Originally Posted by markdaniel213

wait...this Jeep of yours...the one in the photos above...the one with this safari pre-cleaner...this Jeep has a Hemi...V-8?? :O and WHERE are the photos of this massive engine??

i've oft thought about replacing the 4.0 straight-6 in my Jeep when (and if ) it ever dies (i swear that engine was built to run eternally!)

but yes - i (and i'm sure "we") would love to see some photos of your V-8 conversion in your Wrangler, if ya don't mind sharing

I'll try not to hijack the thread here but...

The conversion was done at Mad Dog Service up on Port Chester. They do amazing custom work. I had blown a 4" hole on the side of my block and felt it was the time to go a little bigger. I had already had the nv4500 and atlas from a couple years back when I went through my 2nd np231. Labor etc. can add up but I still don't get how an atlas is cheaper than a re manufactured np231 from a dealer. The nv4500 is very strong but it is a truck box so it appreciates a slower shift or a double clutch.

In the picture from below you can see two sets of manifolds with the driver side bank crossing under the bell housing. With everything under the hood, you can't see much of the engine (especially with the intake tube bending around through the cowl). I have a couple photos but everything is pretty tight under the hood so there isn't really much you can capture. In the last picture, you can tell the hemi was the one that came in the trucks because the air intake is at the rear of the motor. The car had the throttle body at the front. There is a 1" body lift required to clear the firewall and the transmission and transfer case shift about 3" forward from there original position. The computer has to be swapped along with the gas tank / emissions equipment from a 2005 or newer jeep so you don't have a constant engine light on. My Jeep was a tricky install because most of the hemi's are going in with automatic transmissions. I wanted to keep the NV4500 and every conversion part is geared towards the automatics so pretty much nothing bolted right up. It was a lot of parts to make it work but it certainly has given the TJ a whole new character.

[markdaniel213]

Originally Posted by Loamy

Haha... thanks. That's a safari pre-cleaner sitting up there. It pulls most of the dust / water out before anything reaches the filter (which is actually a conical filter that is recessed within that intake tube). I don't like how all the snorkels are routed on the side of the car where you can rip it off if you get caught up on something so it's routed through the cowl. If you're outside of the car you can actually hear it pull in air. The Jeep is an '02 TJ with a different drive train... 5.7 L Hemi with a NV4500 and 4.3 Atlas II.

@Loamy - concerning your snorkle pre-cleaner...what make & model is it?? i've searched around but can't seem to find any that don't route up the side of the Jeep. i LOVE yours...and would love to find one similar (read: "the EXACT same"

Thanks much!

[Loamy]

I don't think anyone makes a TJ specific kit. There is a JK specific product from River Raider:
Expedition Snorkel

For the TJ there are a bunch of writeups on Jeep Forum:
Hummer Snorkel Complete - JeepForum.com
It seems a lot of the guys are using something round for the filter like an old Ford Windstar airbox.

The precleaner is pretty standard. Safari and AEV make a similar unit:
AEV Conversions 40306041AA - AEV Snorkel Pre-Filter Top for 07-11 Jeep® Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited JK - Quadratec

Or if you want it to be pretty like mine (which by the way is my only shiny part on the whole jeep) call up Jon at Mad Dog Service. Mad Dog Service | 914.937.8088 He put that together for me when he was dropping in the new engine. All he would have to do is use a couple of different bends to route it to the intake on the straight six which is over on the drivers side rather then in the middle.